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Israel: Welcome to Israel |
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Written by Stephen Baines
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Tuesday, 21 March 2006 |
It's now about 2:30am on Tuesday morning in Israel. I'm at my desk in the hotel working for the morning. The reason for this is quite long and I'll try to be as brief as I can. I may expand on it tomorrow.
The fun started yesterday morning when I arrived at Heathrow Airport and waited at the El Al desk. I was chosen - maybe it was the huge wooden box and stuff I had with me, who knows? - for an interview and brought forward. I was a suspicious sort, it seems, having never been to Israel before, going for a few days, for work purposes, and having no connections with the place at all. That's where the problems started.
The boxes were x-rayed, then I had to empty them. Then the bits inside had to be x-rayed. Then the fact they were controllers and computers caused more problems, and it all snowballed from there. I didn't know if they would be allowed on the flight, and whether I would, but them, and my hand luggage, was taken away for consideration. So a fun couple of hours in the departure area with nothing to read or listen to for me.
Eventually I made it to the gate, and was allowed my hand luggage back, but no word on whether the rest was coming.
The plane was dreadful. Definitely the most uncomfortable plane I have ever been on. The seat in front was 2 inches closer to me than my knees, and the space under the chair had a strange grey box thing that stopped you stretching your legs. It was a very long flight.
At the other end I got through passport control surprisingly easy, and then collected my boxes and bags, which amazingly did arrive. My reunion was to be shortlived as 2 minutes later they were seized by customs, and a piece of paper - all in Hebrew - was given to me in return. I was told later it told me that I may possibly see the goods sometime maybe when I leave the country, but there are no guarantees. The stuff I needed for the training course this morning is still at the airport.
We've spend the past 4 hours trying to find a way to get it back, but it seems it's irretreivably stuck in customs, so "good bye!" to my training kit! May I see it again sometime maybe. |
